Mo Davidson's

Mo Davidson’s resurrected “Miss British Columbia” and a more recent drag boat, “The Animal” (Both from the 2016 Sockeye Run in Steveston, photos by Brian Pratt) Below: Two drag boats on the Fraser River. From a 1986 article in Bevlin Automotive Profile magazine. Photo by Larry Pfister. 14 2016 Greater Vancouver Motorsport Pioneers Society MO DAVIDSON Pioneer - Drag Boat Racing - Inducted 2016 By Doug Harder Nominated by Doug Harder Mo Davidson is an avid race boat Davidson. He has two! two days later on Sunday June 12th, enthusiast and has been for forty four One is a former “Ramcharger” 2016, at the Sockeye Run Car Show put years. His interest began at fourteen dragster, built in 1968. It was later on by the Richmond Lions Club in years of age, when he raced a campaigned by Pete Kaiser, of the San Steveston, BC. People who knew and neighbourhood flat-bottomed boat. Mo Francisco area. Mo bought this car from read about the boat and its history made (short for Morris) and his parents lived Pete. In 1999 Mo took the car to the a specific trip to the car show to see it. in Coquitlam, BC. His dad, Fred, and Ashcroft drag strip and it went 249.62 Miss BC became a major attraction, just their neighbours built a boat together. mph with Pete driving. It set the track like it had forty five years previously. Fred contributed the welding and record at the time. Mo tows the boat with a vintage construction skills and everyone The other top fuel car was built by 1969 Dodge truck painted blue and supplied materials or money. Mike Schewe, of Kelowna, BC, named white and called “The Flying Scot” in Their first race was at Alouette Lake “Dirty Edna”. Mike raced it at memory of his dad Fred, and his dad’s near Haney, BC. When a class was Edmonton, and several other US tracks. friend Sir Malcolm Campbell. His dad created for young drivers, Mo was Mo bought the car seven years ago. The met Sir Malcolm in the army and they recruited and he was immediately engine, now in this dragster, is from a remained friends. hooked on the racing of fast boats. Mo John Force funny car, so you know it The fastest boat in Mo’s collection is has owned fifty different boats since would be fast. The car is retired now, a former factory Climax race boat by then and currently has eleven boats. but Mo intends to race it next year. Sanger. He bought it as a wreck from Mo is the fastest Canadian on water! Mo turned 58 in 2016. His love of Bob Brown, then rebuilt it. July 2016, at At an official Fraser Valley Drag Boat boats helped him decide this was the the Sproat Lake Regatta, Mo did an Association sanctioned race meet on the year to restore one. He picked an icon, exhibition pass at an estimated 200 Fraser River in 1984, Mo completed the “Miss British Columbia”, a former mph. quarter mile distance in his boat named world record holder in the sixties. He Photos with captions about Mo “The Red Baron” in just 5.7 seconds. had searched for twenty-five years Davidson and his drag boats can be This record has stood for 32 years. before he found it in a small found on two pages of a new book California, in the eighties, was where southeastern town in Oregon called published by Larry Pfister called “Chine the racing and the action was. Mo “Christmas Valley”. Walkers”. It is about drag boats and moved there in 1984 and stayed for four The boat lay beside a highway for how they dance on the water. years. He drove a truck for a living for decades. The expensive parts, like the Mo Davidson lives in Surrey, BC. an owner named Al Bush. Al not only Chrysler Hemi engine, were stripped As well as his trucking company, Posse owned a trucking company, but several out for a funny car. The hull was Trucking, he owns a screen printing drag boats as well. When it came time weathered, but intact. This story business, Posse Ink. to test his various boats, Al asked Mo to captured the interest of Alyn Edwards, a Mo Davidson has had an outstanding drive them. Reason one being that Mo writer for the Vancouver Sun driving career and deserves to be recognized as was available and eager to drive, and section and was published on Friday a Motorsport Pioneer. reason two, the “hired shoes” per boat June 10th, 2016. The boat made its debut were not always available, and charged money to race, and practice. Mo drove Mo Davidson back in the day getting ready for another pass. (from his facebook page) the “Black Express” at 200 mph, and also the “Last Call For Alcohol”. Al Bush owned the world record for speed in a drag boat at the time. Mo returned to Canada and Al must have left a lasting impression because Mo also owns a trucking company and another business and has his own fleet of boats, hot rods and race cars. Mo considers his mentors as being Al Bush in the US, and Ray O’Hara in Canada. Ray had a marine business in the Metro Vancouver area called Hondo Boats. Ray was well known in drag racing at Mission Raceway, oval track cars and drag boats. Top Fuel Dragsters, that are sanctioned by NHRA and race exclusively at their National Meets, are the fastest cars in the world. They are no longer raced in Canada and not many Canadians have one. Not even Mo 2016 Greater Vancouver Motorsport Pioneers Society 15 .

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